Bunker Hill Community College Ranks Ninth in the Nation for Racial and Ethnic Diversity
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) was named one of the “Colleges with the Greatest Racial and Ethnic Diversity” by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The list appeared within the publication’s Almanac of Higher Education 2018-19, an annual data report showcasing best in class for enrollment, completion, research and diversity.
The only college from New England listed among four-year and two-year public and private nonprofit institutions, BHCC ranked number nine for the most diverse two-year public institution in the nation. The rankings were based on BHCC reporting a 78.2% diversity index. The index indicates on a scale of 1 to 100 the probability that any two students at an institution are from a different racial or ethnic groups.
Designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Minority-Serving Institution and Asian American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI), BHCC serves a highly diverse population. At BHCC, 61% of students are people of color—Black or African American and Hispanic/Latino students are each roughly 25% of the population, while 21% are white, and 11% are Asian.
The College has been recognized nationally for its work to develop culturally inclusive learning environments that value the strengths of diverse students and local communities. Initially funded by a $100,000 Performance Incentive Fund grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, BHCC launched the Center for Equity and Cultural Wealth to engage faculty and staff in culturally relevant scholarship, practice and advocacy focused on achieving equitable outcomes for all students.
BHCC received a second Performance Incentive Fund grant this month to further support the Center’s equity efforts. The $100,000 grant award will allow BHCC to develop tools to assess curricular and co-curricular student learning with an emphasis on the assessment of culturally inclusive and place based learning across diverse student populations.
Read more about the Center for Equity and Cultural Wealth
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).